Using Multicultural Literature to Teach About Social Justice
Sometimes it's only in the world of story that we understand the human side of political and loaded issues.
Julia Alvarez
Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Updates
This page has been updated since this event. You can see the original version here. You can find Dr. Webb's article, "Literature from the Modern Middle East: Making a Living Connection" here. The three books I refered to during my talk were:-
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie
Return to Sender by Julia Alvarez
- Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America by Barbara Ehrenreich
Defining "Social Justice"
There are many different issues that fall under the umbrella of social justice. Generally, social justice is about ensuring that all people are treated fairly and have equal access to services and programs regardless of their ability to advocate for themselves. Here are some other definitions of "social justice."-
Social Justice Issues from the Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA)
The Top 5 Social Justice Issues Facing Social Workers Today from Social Work Today magazine.
Social Justice Issues from the Office of Social Justice a program of Catholic Charities of Saint Paul and Minneapolis
Social Justice Issues from the United Church of Christ
Social Justice Issues from the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops
How Does Social Justice Relate to the Life and Work of Dr. King?
Unfortunately, a lot of middle school and high school students are unaware of the scope and breadth of Dr. King's work and legacy. Because of the various ways he is remembered, most students view him as an African-American leader whose goals for equality have largely been met. Be sure to visit Dispelling the Martin Luther King Mythology at WMU's "Teach Martin Luther King Jr." page.Why Teach Kids About Social Justice?
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Few students—even at the college level—know about social justice issues (Gangi 250-251). "Young people often have limited exposure to the challenges of hunger, homelessness, poverty, and illness faced by individuals just a few miles away form them, much less those living across the globe" (Seider 54).
While there are awards for multicultural literature , the big ones—the Caldecott and Newberry Awards— tend to overlook multicultural literature (Gangi 255).
Multicultural literature is useful for introducing multiple perspectives into the classroom (Bender-Slack and Raupach 256).
Knowledge about social justice issues, as received through conventional and electronic media, can overwhelm some students, causing them to feel that little, if anything, can be done about these issues (Seider 55).
Social justice is an issue that usually comes up in social studies classes, however, due to NCLB and the resultant high-pressure focus on the accumulation of facts, there is little time to cover these issues (Bender-Slack and Raupach 255). However, using multicultural literature is an excellent way to discuss these issues.
How to Use Multicultural Texts to Teach About Social Justice
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Know the context of the books you are studying. Read interviews with the author, know their biography, and read their other works. Move beyond mere literary elements to understand the "complex underlying ideologies within the texts" (Yoon, Simpson, and Haag 115).
Use reader-response theory to get students to connect the text to themselves and the world. Ask students:
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About their familiarity with the topic, including any preconceived notions, and where such knowledge comes from.
Ask students to name which characters they do or don't identify with, and why. How do students' backgrounds compare to those of the characters, and how does that difference affect their ability to identify with them?
How does the power a character holds—or doesn't hold—affect the decisions he or she makes. (For more infomration, see Trites.)
How does what is portrayed in the book compare with what they see in the media? Is there evidence of bias in the text or in the media?
How does this book's portrayal of an issue compare with other books' portrayals? For example, how does the portrayal of Indian life in Sherman Alexie's The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian compare with Lynn Reid Banks' portrayal of Indian life in The Indian in the Cupboard? Which do students think gives a more accurate portrayal of the issues involving and affecting Indians?
Lesson Planning Resources
First, check out the lesson planning resources available from WMU's "Teach Martin Luther King Jr." page. Then, check out some of these other lesson planning resources.-
Teaching Tolerance — A Project of the Southern Poverty Law Center
Teach MLK — An Interdisciplinary Project at Western Michigan University
Take A Stand Against Hate A webquest to engage students in civil rights and social justice issues.
Social Justice lesson plans from ReadWriteThink
Exploring Social Justice Issues in Our Schools through the Arts: Developing a Professional Development Model for Educational Leaders, K-12 The result of a three-day retreat sponsored by the American Educational Research Association.
Other Resources
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Teaching for Change Teaching for Change provides teachers and parents with the tools to transform schools into centers of justice where students learn to read, write and change the world.
National Association for Multicultural Education Advocates for Educational Equity and Social Justice.
Education for Liberation Network We are a national coalition of teachers, community activists, youth, researchers and parents who believe a good education should teach people—particularly low-income youth and youth of color—to understand and challenge the injustices their communities face.
The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights
National Women's History Project
GLSEN: Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network
Social Justice — A nonprofit journal that "seeks to promote human dignity, equality, peace, and genuine security".
The Love Alliance an organization that "works to educate individuals on various issues of social injustice such as world poverty, clean water, the AIDS epidemic, human trafficking, homelessness, the environment, and oppression".
Teachers for Social Justice
"I Have A Dream" Foundation
Southern Poverty Law Center
Partners Against Hate
